(Reposting a movie review I just did for another classic film group. Not a Noir, but it is a great Hitchcock.) The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935) - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and is based on John Buchan’s popular 1915 book by the same name. The movie was remade four times, but Hitchcock remains the most acclaimed. In 1999, the British Film Institute ranked it the fourth best British film of the 20th century. The Thirty-Nine Steps is one of my favorite classic films. Cast: Robert Donat as Richard Hannay, Madeleine Carroll as Pamela, Godfrey Tearle as Prof. Jordan, Lucie Mannheim as Miss Smith, Peggy Ashcroft as Margaret, John Laurie as John, Helen Haye as Mrs. Jordan, Wylie Watson as Mr. Memory. The Thirty-Nine Steps is a heart-racing spy story by the master of mystery-suspense films, Alfred Hitchcock and was made in London in 1935. This was his first film in which he showed his directing skills of crafting a breathlessly fast-moving narrative, filled with swift-paced change of locale, and the “chase” we’ve seen in such films as his North by Northwest (1959) starring Cary Grant and Eva-Marie Saint. In The Thirty-Nine Steps, Hitchcock leavened the excitement with moments of romance between Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. Hitchcock’s model of the wrong man - chase was also found in Young and Innocent (1937), Saboteur (1942), and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), and culminated in his similar North by Northwest (1959), which is now considered the American Thirty-Nine Steps. The story begins when a young Canadian gentleman, Robert Donat, visiting London, gets mixed up with some foreign espionage agents. Being alone in London and not knowing anyone, he decides to pass time at a London music hall theatre. He just gets comfortable and is listening to the Master of Ceremonies asking question of Mr. Memory. Members of the audience are encouraged to ask questions of Mr. Memory to test his abilities. In a confused give-and-take within the crowded music hall, both boisterous hecklers and serious questioners present him with challenges about Derby winners, dates, What causes Pip in poultry?, How old is Mae West?, and Who was the last British heavyweight champion of the world? With his question, the well-tailored, anonymous audience member, Donat unconsciously identifies himself as a foreigner, a member of the upper-class who is visiting London from Canada: How far is Winnipeg from Montreal? Mr. Memory first responds with a joke: Miss Winnie who, sir? But then gives the correct geographical answer, ending his feat with: Am I right, sir? Hannay replies: Quite right! and the jovial audience joins in applause. Directly, a gun shot is hear and the audience begins to run from the crowded theater. In his room, a young and attractive woman (Annabella) confesses to the murder to him and begs him for sanctuary. the transient Canadian attempts to entertain the mysterious brunette by pouring her a drink. She asks that he reverse a large mirror on the wall and rushes to hide when the lights are turned on. When the phone rings two different times, she entreats him not to answer it, speculating that it is for her and that the call spells her doom: Cause I think its for me. Donat served her a meal. She explains that she is playing a lone game of counter-espionage against foreign spies who have stolen a valuable military secret and are preparing to take it out of the country. Annabellas first wish is to have a good nights rest. He offers her his own bed and agrees to sleep alone on the couch (shakedown on the couch.) She also reveals that her destination the next day is Scotland: Annabella: Theres a man in Scotland whom I must visit next if anything is to be done. Hannay: Are the 39 Steps in Scotland by any chance? Annabella: Perhaps Ill tell you tomorrow. Donat in bed, sees his door open and a woman clutching a piece of paper moving toward him, then fell forward across his knees, a knife in her back. From then on Donat is on the run, in Hitchcock style like in his later film, Saboteur (1942), when Robert Cummings is on the run from the law. Donat too is on the run from both sides of the law, for him the “police” and the spy-ring. Donat from his window see two men have his flat under surveillance, so he sneaks out of the watched flat disguised as a milkman and boards the Flying Scotsman express train to Scotland. At Edinburgh Waverley railway station he learns from a newspaper that he is the target of a nationwide manhunt for Smiths murderer, and as the train continues over the Forth Rail Bridge he sees the police searching the train. Quickly, Donat enters a compartment and kisses the sole occupant, the attractive Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), in a desperate attempt to escape detection. She frees herself from his unwanted embrace and alerts the policemen, who pull the communication cord stopping the train on the bridge. Hannay jumps from the train onto the girders of the bridge and escapes. The train sequence is reminiscent of Hitchcock’s thriller, The Secret Agent (1936) but in that film was climaxed by a murderous train wreck. Escaping from the train on the Fourth Bridge, he makes his way to a refuge, but directly, Donat recognizes the master-villain when he notices a tell-tale finger missing from the right hand of the gentleman host. The gentleman host is suspect Donat knows they are emerged in the spy-ring and a shot is fired. He is saved by a Bible being left in the pocket by the previous owner of his borrowed overcoat. He proceeds to the police to report the spy ring and is arrested, the police being in with the spry-ring. He escape with Madeleine Carroll is aided by a flock of sheep that block the road, allowing him to exit the vehicle carrying them. They succeed in getting way from the “police”. They make their way across the Scottish moors and stay the night at an charming Scottish inn. An iconic scene of the movie is when Donat offers to help Miss Carroll remove her stockings. She manages to slip out of the handcuff while Donat is asleep, but then overhears one of the fake policemen on the telephone; the conversation confirms Donat’s assertions. She returns to the room and sleeps on a sofa. The next morning, she tells him what she heard. He sends her to London to warn the police. No secret documents have been reported missing, however, so they do not believe her. Instead, they follow her to get to Donat. Carroll leads them to Mr. Memorys show at the London Palladium knowing Donat will be there. When the performer is introduced, Donat recognizes his theme music—the annoyingly catchy tune he hasnt been able to forget for days. Donat puts two and two together and realizes that the spies are using Mr. Memory to smuggle the secrets out. As the police take him into custody, he shouts out the question, What are the 39 Steps? Mr. Memory compulsively begins to answer, The 39 Steps is an organization of spies, collecting information on behalf of the Foreign Office of ... Just then, a man in the crowd shoots him and tries to flee, but is apprehended. The dying Mr. Memory recites the information stored in his brain—a design for a silent aircraft engine. Donat still has his handcuffs dangling from his wrist. Carroll in a long, elegantly black-gloved arm, extend their hands to each other, reaching out and slipping one hand into the other - this time of their own free will. The End!
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 18:29:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015